Christine O'Donnell Defeats Mike Castle

[Ben Kenobi]

Mike Castle would have cruised to victory in Delaware.

Perhaps, but victory for whom? Not for Republicans. Victory for the Democrats, because either way they win. If Coons get in they get one more vote for Obama's policies. If Castle gets in, it's one more vote for Obama. You simply cannot lose.

This just shows that what was once the radical fringe of the GOP is now taking over the party, pushing out sensible people and nominating crazy folks.

Crazy folks!= people who aren't Obama. Obama is extremely unpopular these days and the electorate is furious. O'Donnell gives them a chance to vote for someone.

The same is true in Nevada, where the GOP was almost certain to pick up Reid's seat, except they nominated a nut who is now struggling.

Up by 2, over Reid isn't 'struggling'.

New Hampshire and Alaska are the same story.

What, Joe Miller isn't going to win AK? We should have a wager again. Straight up, Joe Miller wins AK. Deal?

Hell, if the Republicans thought O'Donnell was more likely to win in the fall, then the NRSC wouldn't have gone all-out to defend Castle like they did. Even THEY know she's a loser.

NRSC doesn't speak for the party anymore, Boris.

Delaware is a blue state, lest you forget. What do I mean "forget," you don't know anything in the first place

No, but then so was Massachusetts.

[GePap]

And choosing between Coons and O'Donnell is like choosing between orange juice and hemlock.....

[Boris Godunov]

Not at all. The choice between Castle and Coons is like choosing between taupe and off-white. There's really no need for a vote.

Now it's like choosing between taupe and some crazy lady spraying cat piss on your walls.

And:

Mike Castle has voted with a majority of his Republican colleagues 87.3% of the time during the current Congress.

Congratulations on losing a guy who'd vote with the party 87% of the time to one who will vote with them, what, 10%? If that?

[Boris Godunov]

Perhaps, but victory for whom? Not for Republicans. Victory for the Democrats, because either way they win. If Coons get in they get one more vote for Obama's policies. If Castle gets in, it's one more vote for Obama. You simply cannot lose.

Mike Castle has voted with a majority of his Republican colleagues 87.3% of the time during the current Congress.

You are a moron, and your political acumen is that of a diseased snail.

Crazy folks!= people who aren't Obama. Obama is extremely unpopular these days and the electorate is furious. O'Donnell gives them a chance to vote for someone.

Oh you rascally liar you. Obama is at ~45 approval and ~45% disapproval right now:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/gallup-daily-obama-job-approval.aspx

That's hardly "extremely unpopular" when you consider Bush's approval was ~30% in November 2006 when the Republicans lost control of Congress.

Up by 2, over Reid isn't 'struggling'.

Several polls have shown Angle trailing as well. At any rate, yes, up only 2 points and under 50% against a relatively unpopular incumbent in an anti-incumbent year is definitely struggling. She should be up 10 points over him.

What, Joe Miller isn't going to win AK? We should have a wager again. Straight up, Joe Miller wins AK. Deal?

I didn't say he wouldn't win, nimrod--just that it will be harder than it would have been for Murkowski. She would have cruised against the no-name Democrat. Snap polls after the primary showed the race considerably tighter for Miller, and the bad blood generated by the primary has pushed many Republicans to consider McAdams seriously. Will he win? Probably not, but he has a chance that he didn't have before. Take the Rasmussen polling (a Republican-leaning pollster anyway): Murkowski was up 32 points over McAdams, but Miller was up only 6 when they polled after the primary.

Murkowski is also still toying with the idea of running as a 3rd party candidate in the general. If she's on the ballot, Miller's chances of winning will plummet severely.

NRSC doesn't speak for the party anymore, Boris.

If you don't think that quotes of that kind from the NRSC against O'Donnell and the fact that they won't give her any financial support won't make a difference in the election, then you're delusional.

No, but then so was Massachusetts.

and how did Scott Brown turn out for the teabagger set, hmm? They wanted to hang him in effigy for voting with the Democrats!

[C0ckney]

i don't really know much about this but i take that if ben is supportive of this lady, then she's nuttier than squirrel **** and doesn't stand a chance?

[Berzerker]

yup, she's a christian activist (SALT was her org) with a fairly long track record of saying stuff that can and will be used against her

[DinoDoc]

It was a surefire loss, and now the Republicans have a chance to actually win something. Castle voted in lockstep with Obama.

Ben if you are going to blame his voting record for his loss now I wouldn't be looking so much at his being in "lockstep with Obama" (whatever that means) so much as his being one of the 8 Republicans to vote for Cap and Trade legislation (highly unpopular legislation) and the fact that if he won election to the Senate would be in a position to pull it out of the morass it is currently stuck in. That more than anything seem to have been what attracted the ire of the Tea Party and other conservatives.

[DinoDoc]

and how did Scott Brown turn out for the teabagger set, hmm? They wanted to hang him in effigy for voting with the Democrats!

Pretty well actually. His election would have killed the health reform effort in Congress if not for the extraordinary measures Pelosi and Reid resorted to in order to save it.

[Dinner]

Congratulations on losing a guy who'd vote with the party 87% of the time to one who will vote with them, what, 10%? If that?

Ben was never good at big picture stuff.

[Boris Godunov]

Pretty well actually. His election would have killed the health reform effort in Congress if not for the extraordinary measures Pelosi and Reid resorted to in order to save it.

Er, what?

The bill that was ultimately passed by Congress was less conservative than the Senate bill that had been under consideration prior to Brown's election. Besides a week's worth of PR by Republicans claiming Brown had some sort of effect, I don't see any evidence his election changed the ultimate bill that emerged, and certainly not in the Republicans' favor.

[Berzerker]

Christianity is the belief in a cosmic Jewish zombie who can give us eternal life if we symbolically eat his flesh and blood and telepathically tell him that we accept him as our lord and master so he can remove an evil force present in all humanity because a woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from an apple tree.

That almost sounds like the South Park episodes on Scientology (this is what scientologists actually believe) and Mormons (Dum-de-dum-dum)

[Imran Siddiqui]

Wow, Republicans are ****ing stupid.

Seriously. Went from almost certain win to almost certain loss.

[Kuciwalker]

I find the idea of anti-incumbency sensible given the national deficit and congressional approval ratings. Polls that generally go along the lines of "do you like where the country is headed" or "are you happy with your government" have shown that people are pissed. As for Republicans picking relatively unelectable primary candidates, this also represents a revolt from the party establishment that you yourself have claimed needs to go away and make room for "real fiscal conservatives".

That's not to say I agree with all the republican primary choices, but I think there's a little bit more in play here than "****ing stupidity".

Blah blah whatever dude. See Nate Silver's post. His model says her win halves their chances of taking back the Senate.

[Kuciwalker]

I find the idea of anti-incumbency sensible given the national deficit and congressional approval ratings. Polls that generally go along the lines of "do you like where the country is headed" or "are you happy with your government" have shown that people are pissed. As for Republicans picking relatively unelectable primary candidates, this also represents a revolt from the party establishment that you yourself have claimed needs to go away and make room for "real fiscal conservatives".

Wha? Really? When have I expressed that sentiment? Oh, I've certainly claimed that the establishments of both parties are corrupt self-serving entities that only vaguely represent any kind of coherent ideology, but I've never suggested that getting rid of them would result in better people coming into office.

[Kuciwalker]

I think you may have mistaken political nihilism in general for an anti-incumbent sentiment.